Multiple analytical approaches for the organic and inorganic characterization of Origanum vulgare L. samples.

Origanum vulgare L. samples, marketed in different geographic locations, were characterized by their organic and inorganic chemical composition. A total of 35 commercial samples were collected from various sites and analyzed to determine the qualitative and quantitative profile of essential oils, phenolic compounds and some inorganic elements. The variation in the content and composition of the essential oil was assessed by GC and GC-MS analyses, the phenolic fraction was investigated by UPLC®/PDA, and the inorganic elements were determined by ICP-MS. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied with the aim to sort out the Origanum vulgare L. samples with different composition according to the different belonging origins. The results showed appreciable qualitative and quantitative differences among samples from different geographic origin.

Toxic inorganic pollutants in foods from agricultural producing areas of Southern Italy: Level and risk assessment.

This study focused on the inorganic environmental contaminants in specific food products which form part of the food chain of the population residing in the area of Southern Italy (Gela) where there is a high mortality rate linked to tumor diseases and congenital malformations. Determination of toxic metals was performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The toxicological data for every toxic element has been applied to evaluate the risk for the consumer by calculating the amount of potentially toxic element that would ingest an average of 60kg weight individual adult. The analysis of the investigated samples shows a high level of metal contamination which can be linked both to the polluted water and air. The obtained results give us an idea about the agricultural products contamination and possible exposure of local people through the food chain.

Fast UPLC/PDA determination of squalene in Sicilian P.D.O. pistachio from Bronte: Optimization of oil extraction method and analytical characterization.

A fast reversed-phase UPLC method was developed for squalene determination in Sicilian pistachio samples that entry in the European register of the products with P.D.O. In the present study the SPE procedure was optimized for the squalene extraction prior to the UPLC/PDA analysis. The precision of the full analytical procedure was satisfactory and the mean recoveries were 92.8±0.3% and 96.6±0.1% for 25 and 50mgL-1 level of addition, respectively. Selected chromatographic conditions allowed a very fast squalene determination; in fact it was well separated in ∼0.54min with good resolution. Squalene was detected in all the pistachio samples analyzed and the levels ranged from 55.45-226.34mgkg-1. Comparing our results with those of other studies it emerges that squalene contents in P.D.O. Sicilian pistachio samples, generally, were higher than those measured for other samples of different geographic origins.